


Blackout

by TheBrightPlaces



Category: Orange is the New Black
Genre: AU, F/F, Fluff, Nichorello, Nurse Lorna, One Shot, Protective Nicky, some vauseman if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:08:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29391015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBrightPlaces/pseuds/TheBrightPlaces
Summary: A blackout in her apartment sends Lorna on a wild night of candles, acts of God, and playing Nurse to a certain Nicky Nichols.
Relationships: Lorna Morello & Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello/Nicky Nichols
Comments: 9
Kudos: 6





	Blackout

**Author's Note:**

> This one was really fun to write! Hope you enjoy. :) Thanks for reading! Also, sorry if the formatting is weird. I'm still trying to figure that out.

Lorna was sandwiched on Piper’s couch beside Nicky, watching the chaos unfold. Their apartment building had lost power about an hour ago, sending the building into complete darkness. Measly emergency lights lined the halls and their building manager had yet to arrive to inspect the source of the outage.

Lorna had rummaged through her apartment, knocking over stacks of rom coms and even a lamp in search of a candle. She could had sworn she’d had at least one laying around somewhere. Coming up empty handed, Lorna decided to head down the hall to Piper’s apartment. Piper just seemed like the type of person to have an abundance of candles laying around. And, apparently, half the building had the same idea, because Lorna almost ran smack into Taystee and Cindy. 

“Better hurry before blondie runs out!” Taystee called back, her and Cindy holding their candles and filling the dark hallway with their laughter.

Lorna squeezed through the door to see it swarming with people, some she knew and some she’d never seen before. Piper was by a closet, digging around and handing out candles of all colors and fragrances.

“Shit, uh, Lorna!” The blonde called, looking over to the girl. “Did you see what kind Taystee and Cindy took? They didn’t use the _list_!”

Lorna glanced to the island in the kitchen to see an honest to God check out list of candles. Some Spanish girls were huddled around it, filling in their names, candle type, and even the _time_ of the rental.

“Uh, no, sorry. I didn’t see.” Lorna said with an apologetic shrug. 

Piper groaned and mumbled about how ‘things had order for a reason’ all the while handing a tattooed girl a Tropical Mist candle.

“Hey, kid! Over here!”

Lorna turned to see a very amused Nicky, camped out on the couch. Lorna plopped down beside her and watched as Piper ordered Alex to “man the list” so no one else gets away.

“This is bananas!” Lorna giggled. 

“Bat shit crazy.” Nicky agreed, leaning back into the couch. “Leave it to Chapman to turn a simple blackout into an underground candle operation.”

Piper’s apartment had several candles lit, making for a rather interesting aroma. Lorna and Nicky turned it into a game, seeing what all scents they could pick out. Nicky was winning 5 to 2 when Piper suddenly announced that she was all out.

There weren’t too many people left candle-less, but Piper couldn’t have chosen a worst bunch to anger. Tiffany Doggett and her gang of crack heads huffed and puffed, yelling about how God had told them _personally_ that there was a cinnamon apple candle with their names on it.

“I don’t know what to tell you!” Piper said, throwing her hands in the air. “God obviously miscalculated!”

That definitely wasn’t the right thing to say, and both Alex and Nicky were on their feet before Pennsatucky & Co decided to smack down in the name of Jesus.

“Look, look,” Nicky was saying, standing strategically in between Tiffany and where Lorna sat on the couch. “Just go light up a crack pipe, yeah? Not only will it brighten up the place, but you’ll be high as fuck and ride the rest of this out without a care.”

“Sounds like a win win to me.” Alex added, crossing her arms. 

The group traded glances and Lorna wondered why they hadn’t just done that in the first place. 

“Let’s do it, Tuck!” One of the girls squealed, yanking on Pennsatucky’s arm. The tension in the room let out like a balloon and soon the group of hillbillies was racing to the door, one of them snagging a lit candle on her way out.

“Hey! Hey!” Piper yelled, scrambling to get to the door, only to have Alex stop her.

“Seriously, Pipes,” Alex said with an amused chuckle, “Not worth it.”

Piper went over to her check out list.

“At least tell me you know which one they took.” Piper said. 

Met with silence, she turned around, looking at each of them. 

“Anyone? Was it the Lavender and Vanilla? Or the Spiced App-”

“No one knows which one the Jesus Crusade ran off with.” Nicky interrupted, returning to her spot on the couch. “Now will ya sit down and relax?”

Piper sighed and did what she was told, plopping down in a chair. Alex perched on the arm of the chair and the group exchanged glances.

“Now what?” Lorna asked, glancing over to the window. It was pitch black outside and Lorna could hear the steady drumming of raindrops. 

“Orgy?” Nicky suggested, smirk on her lips and eyebrow raised. 

Lorna instantly went to work putting Piper’s couch pillows in between herself and Nicky, all the while the blonde groaned dramatically.

“Not the pillows! Anything but the pillows!” She whined, reaching across them towards Lorna. “Come baaack!”

Lorna huffed and scooted closer to the opposite arm of the couch.

“You two really are something else.” Alex commented with a knowing smile.

“We could play games.” Piper suggested. “Board games. Anyone have any? I think I may have some cards around here.”

“Oh! I have some!” Lorna cheered, ticking them off on her baby blue painted fingers. “I got Candyland, Clue, that one where ya ride around in the little cars, and some Uno cards!”

“Awesome! I haven’t played Clue in fore-”

CRASH!

Thunder boomed and everyone jumped a mile high, Lorna screaming. She’d reached out automatically across the pillows, gripping onto Nicky’s sleeve. It seemed Nicky had done the same, defying the pillow barrier and wrapping an arm comfortingly around Lorna.

“Now look what ya did.” Nicky said with a chuckle, looking to Piper. “You’ve angered Jesus.”

Piper huffed and crossed her arms.

“Yeah, Pipes,” Alex teased, playing with a strand of the blonde’s hair. “It’ll be worse than the time she broke my glasses.”

“It is _not_ my fault!” Piper argued, sinking into her chair. “Plus, Penn seemed perfectly content when she left! So that was regular thunder, not angry Jesus thunder, _thank you very much_.”

The group dissolved into giggles (except Piper) and Lorna realized she was still loosely gripping the sleeve of Nicky’s shirt. She awkwardly returned her hand to her lap.

“Go get the games, Lorna.” Piper said, shoving Alex playfully. “These two won’t be laughing so much when I kick their asses at Clue.”

“We are _not_ playing Clue!” Nicky exclaimed. “It’s got to be the most boring game in existence.”

Lorna hoped the two would keep arguing so she wouldn’t have to go get the games, or maybe that the lights would miraculously come back on. It’s not that she didn’t want to play games with her friends. She really did. But the thought of traversing the eerily lit hallways with thunder cracking down was not appealing in the slightest.

“I, uh, well, maybe-” Lorna started, but Nicky was quickly on her feet.

“C’mon, kid, I’ll walk with ya.” She said, stretching her arms above her head. “I need at least some excitement before Clue bores me to death.”

As they walked down the dark hallway (Lorna walking so closely to Nicky that they were basically hip to hip) Lorna was quiet. She didn’t know how Nicky did it. The wild haired girl always seemed to know what she was thinking or feeling. She could read Lorna like her favorite book. 

Which did not sit well with the new feelings Lorna had been working through. They were feelings that she didn’t want Nicky to see. They were too confusing, too messy, and Lorna preferred to keep them hidden. She knew Nicky could read her easily, but she hoped that she’d done a decent job at hiding these. She prayed it wasn’t too obvious.

She hadn’t even completely come to terms with her feelings. The internal struggle was almost a daily thing. She wasn’t gay. She just wasn’t. But when Nicky found her eyes in a crowd, flashing a smile meant only for her, something happened inside Lorna Morello that went against everything she’d been taught.

“We shoulda grabbed a candle.” Lorna said uneasily, unlocking the door and letting them into the plunging darkness. Lightning flashed and illuminated the room for a few seconds.

“We’re all good, kid.” Nicky said. Lorna couldn’t even really see the other girl, but her voice was softer than usual. “In and out, ‘kay?”

“Okay.” Lorna said with a small smile. Hands outstretched, she led the way through the living room. “They’re just in this bookshelf at the bottom.”

Suddenly something crunched under her shoes and she paused, holding out a hand and stopping Nicky. It was the lamp she’d knocked over earlier in her search for a candle.

“Watch out. I knocked over a lamp earlier.”

“And ya just left it?” Nicky asked with a laugh. “That’s usually one of those things ya clean up right away.”

Lorna went about swiping her foot blindly in the shards, creating a path for them.

“Hush, Nichols.” She pouted, finally making it to the shelf. Lorna crouched down and she felt Nicky do the same, followed by a hiss of curse words.

“What? Are you okay?” Lorna asked, reaching out and grabbing hold of Nicky. 

“Fuck, yeah, just kneeled right on some glass.”

“Oh shit! Shit, I’m sorry, Nicky! I shoulda cleaned it up. C’mon, let’s go to the bathroom. I got some Band-Aids in there. Geez, I’m sorry. Does it hurt real bad?” Lorna rambled on, quickly getting to her feet and dragging Nicky up with her.

“I’ll live, kid.” Nicky said with a chuckle. “Seriously, no need for all of this. Let’s just get the games and go.”

Lorna didn’t bother answering her. She somehow managed to get them both into the bathroom and plopped Nicky down on the toilet seat. She then went about looking through the medicine cabinet, on her tippy toes and squinting to see in the dark.

“Ah ha!” Lorna announced, producing a colorful box of Band-Aids. “Hope ya don’t mind Ninja Turtles ones.”

Nicky’s laughter filled the dark room. “Why on earth do you have those?”

“My nephews visit a lot, okay?” Lorna shot back, ripping open the box. “Unless you wanna bled to death, you’d better hush.”

“Yes ma’am.” Nicky replied. Lorna could hear the smile on her lips.

Lorna dropped to the floor and reached out to Nicky’s legs.

“Where is it? Your knee?” She asked, leaning in closer to see. She touched Nicky’s right knee and felt nothing but jeans.

“Higher.” Nicky said. Lorna obeyed, sliding her hand up higher.

“A bit higher.” The blonde said again, causing Lorna to slide her fingers up higher, heading toward Nicky’s thigh.

“Higherrrr.” Nicky said in a singsong voice.

“Okay, there’s no way you coulda re-'' 

Realization dawn on Lorna about just _where_ exactly her fingers were headed and she jerked her hand away as if Nicky was an open flame. Nicky, on the other hand, burst into laughter and Lorna felt her cheeks heat up.

“Nicky!” Lorna squeaked, shooting glares in the dark. “I’m being serious!”

“And I’m not?” Nicky countered.

Lorna ignored her and felt around Nicky’s other knee, feeling a tear in her jeans. She rolled up the blonde’s pant leg and gently put a Ninja Turtles band aid on the wound.

“All better!” Lorna announced, raising to her feet with a smile.

“Aww, what’s the fun of you playing nurse if you’re not wearing the costume! I want my money back.” Nicky pouted.

“I wasn’t aware there was payment involved.”

Suddenly Nicky looped her fingers through Lorna’s belt loops and tugged her closer.

“That can be arranged.” Nicky purred.

Lorna swallowed and tried to make out Nicky’s face in the dark. Nicky was always flirting with everyone. Their friends, the tattooed girl down the hall, random waitresses and the pretty girl who worked at the movies. Lorna had no idea if this was any different. Just a random flirtation to pass the time. But those new feelings forced their way from Lorna’s heart to her throat and she had to tear her eyes away from Nicky before she acted on them and ruined the whole thing.

“Can’t ya kiss it all better?” Nicky asked quietly. “Take care of your patient?”

Lorna didn’t even think. She just bent down and placed a soft kiss on the blonde’s band aid covered knee, her lips lingering a tad longer than necessary.

“Damn.” Nicky said with a snort. “That was easy. I shoulda cut my lips! That way yo-”

Lorna pressed her lips to Nicky’s, shutting her up. Nicky reacted immediately, getting to her feet and pulling the shorter girl even closer.

Kissing Nicky was like breathing and Lorna had no idea how she’d lived so long without it. The two stumbled out of the bathroom and up against the wall, hands roaming and tongues mingling. Lorna’s shirt was off before she even realized it and her hands were tangled in golden curls.

She suddenly broke away, the both of them panting.

“Damn, kid.” Was all Nicky said, smiling from ear to ear. 

Lorna tried to catch her breath, tried to calm down, tried to stop her hands from tugging Nicky’s shirt from over her head. 

Nicky leaned in to kiss her again but Lorna put out her hands.

“What about Piper and Alex? They’re waiting! And, and..” Lorna stumbled over her words, glancing to her bedroom. “I’m not…ya know. I’m not gay. I’m really not. I like guys. I..l-”

“Hey, hey, calm down.” Nicky said softly, tugging a wayward curl behind Lorna’s ear. “Piper and Alex will be fine.”

“How ‘bout this. What happens in the blackout stays in the blackout?”” The blonde suggested, a smirk on her lips. She tugged Lorna’s hand towards the back room and Lorna let her, trying not to run on in ahead of her.

“Deal.” Lorna answered, shutting the door behind them.


End file.
